Ann Seymour Bryan

Ann Seymour Bryan, age 77 of Nashville, Tennessee, died on August 1, 2013. Ann was born on February 12, 1936, in Englewood, New Jersey, to the late Dr. Edward Thomas Seymour and Leora (Gregory) Seymour. As a child, she loved spending her summers at Mantoloking Beach swimming and crabbing. Ann graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1958. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a minor in Studio Art, a joint focus which revealed both her deep love for people and her joyous appreciation of creativity. While attending a wedding in Virginia in 1958, Ann met her husband, William Jennings Bryan, Jr. from Nashville, Tennessee, who was living in New York City studying to be an actuary. Ann and Bill married on August 22, 1959, in Bay Head, New Jersey. Ann and Bill lived for several years in New York before moving to Bill's hometown of Nashville, where Ann lived the rest of her days. The fact that she was a young wife transplanted from the North to the South never slowed Ann down. She was filled with love for her husband, happiness about their life, and joy at the opportunity for motherhood - all of which is apparent in the numerous poems and letters she wrote during this time. Ann was a born mother: it was second nature to her to give selflessly and love unconditionally. She was a devoted and energetic participant in her children's lives, substitute teaching at their kindergarten and volunteering at their elementary school. Ann was a doer and a giver. She volunteered countless hours to Boy and Girl Scouts, school projects, and the Salvation Army where she served as President of the Women's Auxiliary for several years. Anyone who knew Ann would confirm that she was one of the most generous, joyous and loving people imaginable. Ann is survived by her husband of nearly 54 years, Bill; three children, Elizabeth ("Betsey") Bryan Bass and husband Langston of Savannah, Georgia, Mary Bryan Bass and husband Walker of Nashville, Tennessee, and Bill Bryan III of Nashville, Tennessee; two grandchildren, Carey and Langston Bass; a brother, Barry Seymour and wife Sylvia of Manhattan Beach, California; a sister-in-law, Beverly Bryan Sibley and husband Horace of Atlanta, Georgia; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and by her older brother, James Preston Seymour. Ann's family would like to express their deepest gratitude to Ann's outstanding team of loving and devoted caregivers and to the staff of Woodcrest Health Center. A memorial service will be held in Ann's honor on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at eleven thirty in the morning at St. George's Episcopal Church, with visitation beginning at ten o'clock. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park. The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions be directed either to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or to Walden's Puddle, a non-profit wildlife rescue service in Joelton, TN.